Honor Flight to be recognized by National Aviation Hall of Fame


Lou Fowler (left) with Jim Allen

World War II veterans unite

September 06, 2012

It was a reunion that was 67 years in the making for Columbia’s Lou Fowler and Aiken’s Jim Allen.  That reunion happened Wednesday during an orientation for the Sept. 26th co-op sponsored Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

Fowler, a former World War II prisoner-of-war, was speaking to the gathering of veterans and their guardians about his experiences as a POW.  During his captivity, Fowler says he was beaten, jabbed with bayonets and refused medical treatment.  Food was hard to come by.  Sanitation was non-existent.  He thought he was going to die.  But in the waning days of the war, Fowler and three fellow prisoners made a daring escape and headed into the countryside towards the American troops.  And what Fowler told the group next was something that veteran Jim Allen could hardly believe.  Fowler and the others were rescued a day later by a group of American soldiers--the 104th Infantry (Timberwolf) Division.  It turns out that division is the very same one Allen served in.

Shortly after the orientation wrapped up, the two men met.

“This World War II veteran (Allen) was in the division that liberated me from a German prison camp in 1945,” Fowler said with a huge grin.   “This is the first guy that I have met, with the division that liberated me, the first person I’ve ever met in more than 65 years.”

The two men could hardly contain their smiles as they remembered that liberation day—April  26, 1945—just like it was yesterday.  Hugs followed, but no tears.  Not for these men.  Fowler compared the emotions of liberation to those he experienced when he first saw the World War II Memorial—the first stop of the day for veterans on the Honor Flight.  “It is the most beautiful memorial,” Fowler said.  And as he told Allen and the other vets, “That is your memorial.”

Van O'Cain




 


S.C. veterans gather at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C

Veterans take Honor Flight to Washington, D.C.

September 28, 2012

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Nineteen electric cooperatives joined Honor Flight of South Carolina yesterday to fly 85 veterans to Washington, D.C., to visit the memorial built in their honor and other historic sites. It was the second co-op-sponsored flight this year in honor of South Carolinians who fought in World War II. This is a generation of people who are leaving us too quickly, said Bill Dukes, Honor Flight of South Carolina president. Their average age is over 88, so it’s important that we honor them before we lose that opportunity. In fact the oldest vet on this trip was 94, the youngest 82.

The trip, free to the veterans and paid for by 19 electric cooperatives in South Carolina, was part of a series of flights organized by Honor Flight of South Carolina, which has been arranging flights for veterans since 2008. This trip adds to the more than 81,000 veterans nationwide who have taken honor flights since 2005, when a small group of Ohio vets were ferried to Washington, D.C., in private planes. “It’s been a real blessing,” said Dukes, referring to the cooperatives’ underwriting of a second honor flight. “We’ve been able to reach a large number of rural veterans through these co-op-sponsored flights, vets who otherwise may not have heard of Honor Flight.”

The one-day trip began with an 8 a.m. chartered flight from Columbia to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, where giant water cannons created a ceremonial arc over the plane as it taxied to the gate.  When they entered the terminal, veterans were greeted by a small brass band and women, dressed as war-era USO girls, who welcomed the vets in the airport. Scores of busy travelers stopped by the gate with well-wishes for the veterans, many of whom were greeted with cheers, hugs and handshakes.

From the airport, the veterans traveled directly to the World War II Memorial. Dedicated in 2004, the oval-shaped site includes 56 granite pillars, one for each state and territory from that period and the District of Columbia. The granite for these pillars, known as “Kershaw” was quarried in South Carolina. Two-thirds of the 7.4-acre memorial site is landscaping and water  During their stop at the Memorial, the vets took photos and shared stories.  A bugler solemnly played “Taps” as the entire group gathered for a photograph underneath the South Carolina pillar. The American and South Carolina flags were presented.

After lunch, buses took the vets on a tour of Washington with stops at other memorials on the National Mall—Korea, Vietnam, and Lincoln—before they crossed the Potomac River and visited the Iwo Jima and Air Force Memorials. Upon arriving at Arlington National Cemetery, an escort took the buses into the cemetery—a special exception the cemetery makes for these aging visitors. They watched the military precision of the Changing of the Guard at the Tomb of the Unknowns, the quiet reverence broken only by the relief commander’s orders, the clicking of the soldiers’ shoes and the snap of the rifles into place on their shoulders.

By 6:30 p.m., the Columbia-bound plane was in the air. In one final surprise, awaiting the veterans’ return were hundreds of people who lined the airport terminal to give the vets a rousing welcome home. Among the dignitaries who were there to express their gratitude was South Carolina Lt. Gov. Glenn McConnell.

“These two Honor Flights have been very rewarding for our family of electric cooperatives,” said Mike Couick, CEO of the state association of electric cooperatives. “It’s a humbling experience to spend time in the presence of these heroes’ who’ve done so much for our state and country.”

Readers may post words of appreciation to the veterans for their service at www.facebook.com/SouthCarolinaLiving.